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DFL removes Sen. Mitchell from committees
Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury) has been removed from her committee assignments and from caucus meetings after she was arrested on suspicion of burglary. FOX 9's Courtney Godfrey has the latest.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - All eyes will be on the floor of the Minnesota State Senate on Monday morning, as Senator Nicole Mitchell could return to her duties at the legislature.
While Senator Mitchell has not responded to FOX 9’s requests for comment, capitol insiders say it's very likely she’ll return to work for the first time since her arrest last week.
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy announced Sunday that Senator Mitchell had been relieved of her committee assignments and removed from caucus meetings. In a statement, Murphy said in part, "This is a tragic situation, and there are still questions that need to be answered…. While the case is under review both in the Senate and in the courts, Senator Mitchell will be relieved of her committee assignments and removed from caucus meetings."
In response, Republicans called it a "half-hearted punishment" as Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson accused the party of not doing more to punish Mitchell because they need her vote to achieve their political agenda. The Democrats currently hold a one-vote majority in the Senate.
Longtime political analyst Blois Olson says the DFL caucus held a 4.5-hour meeting Saturday to discuss the issue. He says they largely looked to historical precedent in the decision to not expel the lawmaker.
"There is not precedent to expel someone before the ethics committee meets," said Olson. "Now the real question is does Senator Mitchell show up."
Olson says the next test is whether she shows up to vote, and says criticism of the DFL party is fair game if they approve her to vote remotely.
"If they do that, then criticism is fair game," said Olson. "I think facing the music is really important for Senator Mitchell."
Olson’s sources within the party have told him that Mitchell’s communication with the caucus is limited at this point, but many believe she will show up in person on Monday.
"If Senator Mitchell is there, it's going to be a bit of a circus… it should be good viewing."
Mitchell is accused of breaking into her stepmother’s home to retrieve some of her late father’s belongings. Mitchell claims she was simply performing a welfare check on her stepmother. However, that is not what is outlined in an official police report.